Group Discussion: One group jumped online to IM a local library

I can pontificate in the classroom for sure (“he’s STILL talking..”) but I think it’s more effective to turn the discussion/thinking/outcomes over to the students as much as possible. Here’s Wednesday night’s discussion assignment based on Chapter 5 of Library 2.0 A Guide to Participatory Library Service by Michael Casey and Laura Savastinuk, InfoToday, 2007:

LIS768
Stephens
Discussion Questions: Participatory Service & The Long TailGroup Work 1:
Each group will select a library service for your type of library. In a few minutes of brainstorming, rework the service to be a Library 2.0 service by including:

Constant change: Is the service frequently evaluated to ensure that it is meeting its expected outcomes and that it is still relevant? When the service no longer meets its expectations, is it updated or replaced?

User Participation: Was customer input used in the creation of the service? Does the review process continue to include customer feedback? Are library non-users asked to participate in the service creation and review process? (Casey & Savastinuk, p. 67)
Group Work 2:

Brainstorm for your type of library a “long tail” style service. What might you do to extend a service out to users? What would be the barriers? The advantages?

As you can see one group discussed IM and actually went online and asked an IM Librarian at a local library some questions. The librarian filled out a comment card for the class about one of the questions that came up in discussion. I am really enjoying this class.